A grave number mix-up at the newly opened Olifantsvlei Cemetery is causing a Johannesburg family pain and heartache.

The family, from Ennerdale, buried Omar Abraham at the cemetery near the Golden Highway on December 23, but when they visited his grave two weeks later, they found a headstone bearing someone else's name.

As far as they knew, grave number 51 on Cell K, Section A, belonged to Abraham, 56. "We went again over the weekend and we found fresh flowers. It just means that another family visited the grave and believe their loved one is buried there. This is so hurtful. The dead deserve respect and dignity. The mix-up is causing us so much pain," said Abraham's sister Wilma Coetzer.

The headstone stated that the person buried there died on December 24, a day after Abraham was buried.

Coetzer said when they found the headstone in January, they went to Eldorado Park cemetery offices (as Olifantsvlei doesn't have offices) and were told that her brother's grave number was 48.

"But how? We have a piece of paper we got from our undertaker before the funeral and it shows the grave number. The grave number was also there on the burial day.

"We had placed two small rocks on the grave and they are still there," said Coetzer's husband Oswald.

He said Avalon cemetery offices told them the grave number was 51.

Coetzer said , she removed the headstone and flowers from grave 51 and placed them on grave 48.

"An official said whoever was in grave 51 was supposed to be in grave 48. Now, we do not know which grave he is in," Oswald said.

Coetzer said: "It pains me because it's not a nice thing to go through. We are planning on erecting a tombstone in three months. "

Johannesburg City Parks spokeswoman Jenny Moodley said there was a mix-up of the markers.

"The challenge here was that a grave marker 58 was placed at 51. This [was] explained to the family of grave no 51 when they came to enquire."

However, the family said nothing about grave 58.